Orangemen Look For Sixth BIG EAST Win Against Pittsburgh
1/22/2002 9:12:56 AM | Men's Basketball
The 10th-ranked Orangemen look to remain unbeaten in the BIG EAST as they take on the Pittsburgh Panthers at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Fitzgerald Field House. Syracuse is 16-3 overall and 5-0 in the conference, while the Panthers are 16-3 and 4-2 in BIG EAST play.
Syracuse’s seven-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday night as the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Orangemen, 66-62, in Thompson-Boling Arena. SU fought back from a 17-point halftime deficit, taking a 49-47 lead with 9:15 left in the game. The 26-7 Orangemen run was ignited by senior Preston Shumpert, who had 12 points in the spread. Shumpert scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half. A jumper by DeShaun Williams gave SU its final lead, 51-49, before Tennessee regained the advantage and held on to win.
The Syracuse-Pittsburgh pairing is the most frequent of the BIG EAST Conference members on the Orange schedule. The two clubs have met 84 times and SU owns a 58-26 advantage in the series. In BIG EAST regular-season play, the SU advantage is 28-8. The Orangemen and Panthers have met four times in the BIG EAST Tournament and SU has emerged the victor in three of those outings.
